The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-03-12
PETER CARTWRIGHT AND HIS WIFE.

PETER CARTWRIGHT AND HIS WIFE.
The following sketch of Peter Cart
wright is from the Lincoln biography in
the Century magazine. The paragraph
which follows in regard to Mrs. Cart
wright from the" Early Settlers of San
canon (Ill.) County," by John Carroll
Power, quoted from the Century:
The democrats gave Mr.. Lincoln a
singular competitor-th famous Meth
odist preacher, Peter Cartwright. 1t
was not the first time they had met in
the field of politics. When Lincoln ran
for the legislature ON his return from
the Black Hawk war, in 1882, one Of
the successful candidates of that year
was this indefatigable circuit-rider. He
was now over sixty years of age, in the
height of his popularity, and in all re-
spects an adversary not to be despised.
His career as preacher began at the
beginning of the century, and contin-
ued for seventy years. He was the son
of one of the pioneers of the West,
and grew up in the rudest regions Of
the border land between Tennessee and
Kentucky. represents himself, with
the usual inverted pride of class-lead-
er, as having been wild, vicious youth;
but the catalogue of his crimes en-
brace nothing less venial than card
playing, horse-racing and dancing, and
it is hard to see what different amuse-
ments could have been found in South
ern Kentucky in the year 1901. This
course Of dissipation did not continue
long, as he was converted and united
with the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal
Church" in June of that year, when only
sixteen years old, and Immediately de-
veloped such zeal and power in exhor-
tation that less than year later he was
licensed Ito exercise his gifts as an ex-
horter so long as his practice is agree
able to the gospel" He became dea-
con at twenty one, and elder at twenty
three, a presiding elder at twenty seven,
and from that time his life is the his
tory of his church in the West for sixty
years. He died in 1872, eighty seven
years of age, having baptized $4,000
persons and preached $1,000 sermons.
He was, and will always remain, the
type OF the backwoods preacher. Even
in his lifetime the simple story of his
life became so overgrown with net
work of fable that there is little resem-
biance between the simple, courageous,
prejudiced itinerant of his "Autobiog-
raphy" and the fighting, brawling,
half-civilized Protestant Friar Tuck, of
bar-room and newspaper legend. 1t is
true that he did not always discard the
weapons of the flesh in his combats
with the ungodly, and he was more
than once compelled to leave the pulpit
to do earnal execution upon the distur-
bers of the peace of the sanctuary but
two or three incidents of this sort in
three quarters of a century do not turn
a parson into pugilist. He was a
fluent, self-confdent speaker, who,
after the habit of his time, addressed
his discourses more to the emotions
than to the reason of his hearers. His
system of future rewards and punish
ments was of the most simple and con-
crete character, and formed the staple
OF his sermons. He had no patience
with the refinements and reticences of
modern theology, and in his later years
observed with scorn and sorrow the pro-
gress of education and scholarly train
ing in his own communion. After lis
tening one day to prayer from young
which shone more by its cor
rectness than its JUNCTION, he could not
refrain from saying, Brother --,
three prayers like that would freeze
hell over"-a consummation which did
not commend itself to him as desirable.
The impressive manner of Mrs. Cart
wright's death, who survived her hus-
band few years, is remembered in the
of Sangamon County. She was
religious meeting at Bethel
Chapel, mile from her house. She
was called upon to "give her testi-
nOny," which she did with much feel
ng, concluding with the words, "The
past three weeks have been the hap
best of all my life; 1 am waiting for
he chariot" When the meeting broke
Up she did not rise with the rest. The
minister solemnly said, 1.-THE chariot
las arrived"